Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America.
U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Nov 14;19(11):e0311891. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311891. eCollection 2024.
Over the past decade, Lyme and other tick-borne diseases have expanded into urban areas, including Staten Island, New York. While Lyme disease is often researched with a focus on human risk, domestic pets are also at risk of contracting the disease. The present study aims to describe differences in tick exposure, knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) between pet owners and non-owners, and to understand preventive strategies practiced by pet owners for themselves and their pets. We conducted KAP surveys via phone in 2020 and via face-to-face interviews in 2021, and we analyzed unique responses from 364 households on Staten Island. Pet owners were more likely to have ever found a tick on themselves or their household members (63%) than non-owners (46%) (p<0.001). Among pet owners, those who owned dogs (dog-only or both dog and cat owners) were more likely to have ever found a tick on their pets than cat-only owners (p<0.001). Compared with non-pet owners, pet owners were more likely both to know that ticks transmit Lyme disease (p<0.001) and to avoid gardening to reduce their tick exposure (p = 0.032), but they were less likely to wear protective clothing or adjust clothing (p = 0.013). Compared with cat owners who had never found a tick on their cats, cat owners who had ever found a tick on their cats were more likely to let their cats go outside (p<0.001). However, reported preventive measures on cats did not differ between pet owners who did and did not report tick exposure. The results indicate that encouraging pet owners to engage in preventative measures, both to protect themselves and their pets, is a potential avenue for healthcare providers and veterinarians to reduce risks from ticks.
在过去的十年中，莱姆病和其他蜱传疾病已经蔓延到城市地区，包括纽约州的斯塔滕岛。虽然莱姆病的研究通常侧重于人类的风险，但家养宠物也有感染这种疾病的风险。本研究旨在描述宠物主人和非宠物主人之间在蜱虫暴露、知识、态度和实践（KAP）方面的差异，并了解宠物主人为自己和宠物采取的预防策略。我们在 2020 年通过电话进行了 KAP 调查，在 2021 年通过面对面访谈进行了调查，并对斯塔滕岛上 364 户家庭的独特回答进行了分析。宠物主人比非宠物主人（63%比 46%）更有可能曾经在自己或家人身上发现过蜱虫（p<0.001）。在宠物主人中，那些拥有狗（只养狗或狗和猫都养的主人）的人比只养猫的主人更有可能曾经在他们的宠物身上发现过蜱虫（p<0.001）。与非宠物主人相比，宠物主人更有可能知道蜱虫传播莱姆病（p<0.001），并且更有可能避免园艺以减少蜱虫暴露（p = 0.032），但他们更不可能穿防护服或调整服装（p = 0.013）。与从未在猫身上发现过蜱虫的猫主人相比，曾在猫身上发现过蜱虫的猫主人更有可能让他们的猫外出（p<0.001）。然而，在从未报告过蜱虫暴露的宠物主人和报告过蜱虫暴露的宠物主人之间，报告的预防措施在猫身上没有差异。结果表明，鼓励宠物主人采取预防措施，既能保护自己，也能保护他们的宠物，这是医疗保健提供者和兽医减少蜱虫风险的一个潜在途径。
